


Pheromones Can Be Dangerous

by EmeraldLight



Series: OMG OMCs Universe [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Technology, Alternate Universe, Coma, Genetic Augmentation, M/M, Mood Swings, Mpreg, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-23 14:10:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23712754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldLight/pseuds/EmeraldLight
Summary: Set after the events in Apocalyptic Bliss - Far away, on earth, Altaris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he looked around rapidly, feeling as though someone was cursing him.It's really not smart to mess with alien technology that, in turn, messes with ones genetics.
Relationships: Keith/Original Male Character, Lance/Original Male Character, Lotor/Original Male Character/Matt Holt, Shiro/Original Male Character
Series: OMG OMCs Universe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697551
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ScarlettFAngell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettFAngell/gifts).



“Pheromones can be dangerous. Fun. But dangerous.”

Lotor’s words rang true, unfortunately, as the lavender skinned male stood looking over the white blonde male who was laying on the transport bed of Lotor’s medical shuttle. He had been summoned, somewhat frantically, but the Galaxy Garrison when Axel had collapsed during a sparring session. It wasn’t standard operating procedure to have patients transported to the Galra medical ship, especially when it looked to be nothing more than a case of severe exhaustion, but Shiro had been very insistent. 

When Lotor had arrived, flanked by two additional medics, the three had found Axel curled on his side in the Garrison sick bay, the blonde having been sick several times between collapsing and being taken to sick bay. Shiro had been the unfortunate recipient of at least two bouts of vomit. At least the well trained Garrison medic had been able to get Axel to agree to an IV, the blonde very dehydrated and in need of fluids. It also gave them a way to pump him full of anti-nauseants, also very much needed.

Transporting the blonde had gone easily enough, even if Axel wasn’t all that alert, though Lotor hadn’t been able to get him to turn over onto his back just yet.

“We thought it was the tuna salad from last night,” Shiro said as he sat as close to Axel as Lotor would allow, the Medic needing full access to Axel just in case something went wrong between earth and his ship.

“He’s only been vomiting since last night?”

“It started around six this morning,” Shiro told him. “He was having a shower and I heard him… uh…”

“Retching,” Lotor offered, passing his palm-based scanner over Axel’s body.

“Yeah…”

“He still went to work?”

“You know how he is, you can’t keep him down. Especially with us being quarantined for over a month. He was itching to get back into action, and you know he wasn’t going to put off a chance to whip the cadets back into shape.” Shiro sat at the head of the bed Axel’s stretcher had been strapped to, stroking his husband’s hair with gentle fingers.

“Well, I know you’ve only been back to work for a week or so, but surely he could have taken some time off? One day wouldn’t have hurt, and it would have prevented this..” Lotor frowned as he spoke, glancing at the data pad above Axel’s bed, reading the information presented to him.

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Shiro frowned as well, looking between Lotor and the data pad, not that he could read the Galra language displayed there. “What oh? What’s wrong? What did you find?”

“I need to run a few more tests once we’ve docked,” Lotor said quickly. “It’s nothing bad, just not something I’ve seen all that often, that’s all. No need to panic.”

Except, on the inside, Lotor was absolutely panicking, willing the shuttle to dock with his ship faster. His initial scans had to be wrong, he told himself. The hand scanner must be malfunctioning, that was all. There was no way the displayed information was correct, and he knew that once Axel was looked over by the full size scanner, everything would be cleared up.

Shiro wasn’t sure what to make of Lotor’s reaction, sticking close to Axel as they packed him off the shuttle before it had even fully powered down, the large man trailing after the trio of medics.

It took a lot of coaxing, and a good deal of tears, before Axel allowed himself to be laid out on his back, the slender male only partially lucid thanks to the exhaustion, but there was enough energy left in him to put up a bit of a fight.

“Axel, sweetheart, you need to let us take care of you,” Lotor spoke softly, bedside manner fully engaged as he hung a new IV bag and directed more fluids into Axel’s weary body.

“M’gonna puke…”

There wasn’t much more notice than that, but Shiro would admit that Lotor moved with impressive speed, shoving a hand under Axel’s shoulders and hauling the blonde upright while his other hand cupped under Axel’s chin. Lotor’s hunch that there really wasn’t anything in Axel’s stomach to bring up was correct, there was just bile, and that wasn’t very plentiful either. His large hand was more than enough to catch what passed between Axel’s parched lips, and soon enough he laid the blonde down once again.

“Give him another shot for the nausea,” he directed one of the Medics. “And don’t let him roll onto his side again, if you can help it. We need a few more scans before he gets to roll over.” Lotor excused himself so he could wash his hands, and so he could let the technicians know that he was bringing a patient to the scanning room.

Galra technology was impressive, able to scan Axel’s body from head to toe without having to lay a hand on the somewhat delirious blonde. Lotor watched the scans with practiced eyes, but his original discovery had been correct… he just didn’t know how to explain it. Or how to break the news to Shiro and Axel.

“I thought you said he was human?”

“He is,” Lotor sighed.

“But humans can’t--”

“I know.”

“So the scanner is malfunctioning, then?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Lotor admitted, transferring the images to Axel’s room before he wheeled the blonde in the same direction. It would be a few hours before Axel would be awake, the anti-nausea medication making him incredibly drowsy, and while he knew Shiro wouldn’t be happy with his decision, Lotor opted to wait until Axel had woken before telling them the news.

While he waited, Lotor placed a call to Altaris on earth, knee bouncing as he sat in his office chair. It took only a few moments before Altaris’ face filled his screen, smiling brightly and greeting Lotor happily.

“We need to have a little chat,” Lotor said solemnly.

“O-oh?” Altaris was confused for a moment before panic immediately set it - Lotor was a medic, Lance was on a short-haul cargo trip, and Altaris and Lotor weren’t exactly ‘call for fun’ friends.

“It’s not Lance,” Lotor said quickly, realizing how his tone had come across. “It’s Axel.”

*****

Many, many hours later, at eight the next morning, Lotor stood at the foot of Axel’s bed, watching the blonde pick at some toast, but clearly he didn’t have any sort of desire to eat. Shiro, on the other hand, had no problem eating the fresh fruit that had also been provided, as well as the yogurt.

“Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong with me?” Axel asked, pointing at Lotor with his triangle of toast. “All the Medics keep looking at me funny, and Shiro said you wouldn’t tell him what was going on.”

“You’re pregnant.”

Axel threw his toast at him.

“Fuck off. That’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking,” Lotor sighed, brushing crumbs off of his shirt before he bent down to pick the discarded piece of toast off the floor.

“I’m male, how about that?”

“Most species’ males can get pregnant,” Lotor started, but Axel simply gave him an unimpressed look.

“Humans don’t have that ability, Lotor,” Shiro said, stroking Axel’s hand as he took in the information. “We’re not ‘advanced’ enough for that.”

“Humans under the influence of a highly experimental aphrodisiac that alters ones genetic code have the ability, apparently.”

Far away, on earth, Altaris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he looked around rapidly, feeling as though someone was cursing him.

“I suggest you talk fast,” Shiro told the white haired male.

“There’s not a lot left to say. Axel is pregnant, with twins, one child is human, the other has Galra genetics, meaning one was no doubt fathered by Shiro, and the other by Riven. I spoke with Altaris and he isn’t sure what could have caused such a mutation, but there’s no other explanation that we can think of.”

“I’m pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“I’m pregnant. With twins.”

“Again, yes.”

“I’m pregnant. With twins. Twins that have different fathers.”

“Yes, Axel.”

Bi-chromial eyes narrowed a little and Shiro kept all of his comments to himself, watching his husband process the information. Lotor shifted somewhat uncomfortably - at least when men in his species (both of them) fell pregnant, it wasn’t such a shock.

“You have options,” he spoke carefully. “And, speaking bluntly, we don’t know if or how this pregnancy will progress. Like you said, human males aren’t built to get pregnant. Our prediction is that this pregnancy will be very unstable.”

“So I can terminate,” Axel ran his tongue over his teeth. “Or I can accept the pregnancy and miscarry anyways, or I might just luck out and get fat and… how the fuck do these things get out of me?”

“A simple operation, just like many human females undergo,” Lotor told him. When Axel made no further comments, Lotor transferred the images of Axel’s scan to a data pad and offered it out to the blonde.

“I’m going to leave you two alone to talk things over, okay? I won’t be far away, just press the call button or have Shiro come get me.” Shiro accepted the data pad when Axel simply glanced away, his husband pulling his knees up against his chest. Lotor let out a soft sigh and left the two humans alone, Shiro barely waiting for the door to click closed before he got to his feet. Setting the data pad on the table, Shiro got Axel to budge up, adjusting the bed so he was sitting completely upright before Shiro arranged himself behind his husband.

“I just want you to know that I’m with you, whatever you choose,” he said, resting his chin on Axel’s shoulder and holding the blonde close. “This is your choice.” With one arm wrapped around Axel’s still slender waist, Shiro held the data pad with his other, the two looking at the video of the two little splotches of genetic material that had overcame all the odds and made themselves a home inside a host previously unsuitable for such things.

“Guess I wasn’t just getting fat…”


	2. Chapter 2

Axel sighed, stroking his hands over his lightly bulging stomach as he turned side to side, looking at his reflection in his full length bedroom mirror. It was easy to see why he had thought he was just getting fat, especially after a month spent trapped in the mountain cabin - sure, he had done some training, but it was nothing like his fitness regime while at the Garrison.

“You’re going to ruin my hard earned figure, brats,” Axel muttered, blowing out yet another long breath before he moved to the closet he shared with Shiro and pulled out his uniform. His husband had already left for the day, despite Shiro wanting to stick around and accompany Axel to Admiral Iverson’s office. It was only right that Axel inform his superior officer of the new developments in his life that would be impacting his work, specifically the fact that Lotor didn’t want him teaching hand to hand combat anymore.

Yeah. Good luck with that.

“If you two are going to be sticking around, you have to do it without my help,” Axel said, looking down at his stomach. “I know that’s cruel, but I’m not compromising my lifestyle because two uninvited guests have set up camp in my spontaneously grown suedo-uterus.” Uniform jacket in place, Axel laced up his boots and left his room, striding through the hallway with his usual air of confidence.

Iverson wasn’t really sure what to do with the information presented to him, but he had female instructors and Officers who continued with their jobs right up until they went into labor, so why would it change with a male pregnancy? The Admiral was sure that the Garrison would soon he seeing non-human cadets, so he might as well start figuring this sort of thing out - at least it was one of his favorite Officers.

“And your doctor has cleared you to continue teaching hand to hand combat?”

“It’s up to my discretion,” Axel told him, standing straight and eyes forward.

“I trust your judgement, Officer Maxwell. You’ve never done anything to make me doubt you.”

Neither were going to mention his marriage to Shiro.

Dismissed from the office, Axel checked the time before heading for the Archives. His class didn’t start until fourteen hundred, giving him plenty of time to figure out how in the hell he was going to do in said class. The last thing he wanted was for his cadets to treat him differently, but at the same time, he wondered if this would be a great opportunity to teach another important life skill - don’t underestimate your opponent, even one claiming to be, or who is actually, pregnant.

After all, many non-human species’ went into combat while pregnant, and earth’s borders were wide open. As much as the Garrison wanted to believe that another attack wouldn’t happen, that earth would only be home to peaceful interactions, such thoughts were foolish. There were always terrorists, and that meant there would always be Garrison soldiers to protect the planet. The solar system, even.

“Axel.”

Caught off guard by the hand that settled on his shoulder, Axel swung around and slammed the top of his foot against the ribs of the person speaking to him, causing a pained grunt and sending the person to the floor.

“Riven!” Axel’s eyes went wide, staring down at the Galra half breed sprawled on the floor. “I’m so sorry! I was lost in thought and just reacted!” Thrusting his hand out, Axel helped Riven off the floor, looking rather sheepish.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were on patrol through the system this month?”

“Delayed,” Riven huffed. “My shuttle is having mechanical issues and I’d rather wait to have it fixed than take something else. I’ve had that thing for years.” Axel chuckled a little, but when his eyes fell on the clock in the hallway, he sighed.

“Sorry to cut our chat short, but I was supposed to report to my post a half hour ago,” Axel winced. “I had a meeting with Iverson, so the Head Archivist knows I’m delayed, but I’m really pushing it.” Riven smiled and nodded, leaning forward and tucking a stray strand of Axel’s hair behind his ear, fingers trailing gently along Axel’s neck.

“Go, do boring things, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Axel couldn’t help the blush, nodding as well before he turned to leave, though his exit was quickly stopped by Riven gripping him by the wrist. Frowning, Axel turned back towards the younger male, his head tilting to one side.

“Riven?”

“You’re pregnant.” Riven looked somewhat startled, holding Axel’s wrist firmly but not so much that the blonde couldn’t break away if needed. The startled look on Axel’s face told everything Riven needed to know, yellow-green eyes tracking downwards.

“How long have you known?”

“Yesterday,” Axel admitted. “But I’d really prefer not to discuss it where my cadets can hear.” Before Riven could say anything else, Axel gently pulled his wrist away.

“I’ll call you as soon as I’m done work,” he told the other male, offering a small, polite smile before he turned and jogged off, leaving a stunned Riven in his wake.

*****

Shiro encouraged his husband to take long, slow, deep breaths as they approached the apartment building where Riven and Keith lived. Axel would have been more comfortable in his own quarters, but he and Shiro barely fit comfortably in the room, so cramming four of them into said room wasn’t the best idea. Besides, it would have been a pain to get Keith cleared to come on the base.

“You realize they aren’t going to be angry, right?”

“I know…” Axel curled his arms around one of Shiro’s, feeling as though he needed the additional support. How could he be so composed and put together when he was on base, but feel so completely out of his realm when approaching the home of two long time friends.

Oh right. He was pregnant.

Hormones.

Riven was also taking deep breaths before he opened the door, welcoming Axel and Shiro into his home and motioning for them to have a seat on the couch. The tension in the room was almost unbearable, making Axel press against Shiro’s side once more as he tried to calm his racing heart.

“So…” Keith settled in the kitchen chair he had tugged into the living room, watching Riven hesitate for a moment before coming to stand behind his mate.

“Yup. Pregnant,” Axel nodded. “Lotor confirmed it yesterday, and blamed it on Altaris and his stupid aphrodisiac drugs.”

“More reasons we should be fucking with stuff from other planets,” Keith said, making Axel nod.

“Lotor also told him that he thinks the pregnancy may not keep,” Shiro glanced at his husband before looking to his friends. “It’s delicate, and he wants Axel to give up sparring.”

“Fuck that,” the blonde in question snorted, rolling his eyes. “I’m not changing the way I go about my life just because I got knocked up.”

“You could miscarry!”

“And? It happens. Sometimes pregnancies don’t take,” Axel all but glared at his husband. “I’m not going to sit around on my ass for the next… what… seven or so months? I didn’t work this hard to get where I am in life just to become the damsel in distress everyone thinks I am. You told me you would respect whatever path I chose, Shiro. And I’m choosing to continue life as normal. If I’m meant to carry these babies to term, then I’ll carry to term, but that’s up to the universe.”

“Babies?” Riven leaned forward a little. “There’s more than one?”

“Twins,” Shiro nodded.

“One’s yours,” Axel pointed at Riven. “And one’s Shiro’s. Congratulations, you both bred me.”

While the conversation went back and forth, Keith simply sat watching the three males in question. He wasn’t part of any of this, even if he was mated to Riven. He felt like nothing more than an outsider, his opinion didn’t matter, and even if they asked him, what would he say? Shiro had the right idea - this was Axel’s choice, his and his alone. Keith was sure that, despite saying he would follow his husband’s lead, Shiro would love to have children. Having a family was important to the older man, wasn’t that why he had brought Keith into his life? And Riven… considering the way Riven had taken to Axel while at the cabin, Keith had no doubt that Riven would want to keep the babies as well.

“Keith?”

Purple eyes found bi-chromial green and brown, Keith blinking a little as he realized Axel had been speaking to him. The blonde offered a small smile and asked how Keith was feeling about all of this, the question surprising the dark haired male.

“Why does it matter?” Keith frowned. “You aren’t carrying /my/ kids.”

“But one of them belongs to your mate,” Axel said. “That kind of makes him connected to you, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Axel,” Keith sighed. “This whole situation has been complicated from the very beginning, and right when we thought everything had settled, you two are drawn together again. I’m going to have to share you with Riven for the rest of our lives, aren’t I?”

Axel glanced away, pulling his knees up against his chest and leaning against Shiro once more, looking as though he had been slapped across the face.

“Keith…” Riven sighed, leaning down to nuzzle his face against his mate’s neck. “That isn’t fair.”

“He’s right,” Axel spoke softly. “If I keep these babies… things will never be the same between us… Things have already changed so much, and the last thing I want to do is add more of a strain to what’s left of our friendship.” When Axel’s voice caught in his throat, Shiro curled an arm around his husband and leaned over, resting his cheek on Axel’s head.

“I… I’ll call Lotor once we’re home… He said I still have a week or two that I can… can…” The words wouldn’t come out, but all four knew what Axel was trying to say, and it made the tension all the heavier.

“I’m sorry…” the blonde continued. “I shouldn’t even have told you… I hadn’t really made a decision until now…” Axel pushed at Shiro’s arm, working to extract himself from his husband’s embrace and get to his feet, fully intent on fleeing from the apartment. He had almost made it to the door when he suddenly found himself pressed against a wall, causing a somewhat strangled sob to wrench itself free.

He had expected it to be Riven, expected it to be the man who had impregnated him, expected Riven to succumb to his Galra nature and fight to preserve the life of his unborn child. But instead it was Keith, Axel’s back flush against the younger males chest, one of Keith’s arms braced against the wall, the other wrapped around Axel with his hand snaked under Axel’s baggy t-shirt and resting on the already tangible bulge.

“I want to share Riven with you,” Keith said, keeping his voice low, his lips brushing against Axel’s ear. “I want… I want us to be a family… to be together… All four of us…” Axel inhaled sharply, heart racing as he listened to Keith’s words.

“K-Keith… I thought…”

“You make Riven so happy,” Keith told him. “And Riven makes you happy. And you and Shiro are happy together. And I’m happy with Riven… Why can’t we all be happy, together?”

“I don’t know what… how…”

“We’ll figure it out,” Keith promised, rubbing his thumb against the soft skin of Axel’s stomach.

“But I could still miscarry…”

“And? That doesn’t mean we would stop being together. You not being pregnant won’t change the way you and Riven feel about one another, and since I’m being honest, it won’t change how I feel about you. I’m attracted to you, Axel… I’ve been attracted to you pretty much since I met you, but you were with Shiro.”

Riven and Shiro watched the two interacting from only a few steps away, unsure how all of this was going to end. There were so many questions that needed to be answered, especially when Shiro harbored no attraction to Riven, nor did Riven have any attraction to Shiro. But they were friends, good friends in fact, and if coming together made everyone happier… wouldn’t it be the right thing to do?


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh, Axel! Hey!” Keith smiled brightly as he pulled open his apartment door, though the smile faded as he saw the less than impressed look on Axel’s face.

“Something wrong…?”

“You live on the fifth floor,” Axel grumbled, panting a little as he rested a hand on his swollen stomach. “You live on the fifth fucking floor and your elevator doesn’t work and I am three months pregnant with twins who are already ruining my lung capacity. Do you get what I’m saying, Kogane?” Keith winced and stepped back, allowing the blonde into the apartment and watching as Axel headed towards the kitchen for something to drink.

“Why don’t you let me get that, Axel?” Keith offered, though he immediately regretted his words when Axel glared at him, holding his favorite deep purple mug in one hand.

“I am /not/ a fucking invalid, Kogane, so don’t fucking treat me like one.”

Right. Shiro had warned him about Axel’s growing aggression.

“Axel, I… I’m sorry,” Keith sighed. “I know you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Good, because I like you, Kogane, and when these stupid brats are out of me, I fully intend to bend you over that couch and fuck you until your legs give out under you,” Axel told him, filling his mug with orange juice. “And then I’m going to do it again.”

Keith tripped over his own feet when the words exited Axel’s mouth, his eyes going wide. That was not what he expected from the tiny blonde who was carrying twins, watching as Axel strolled over to said couch, kicked off his shoes, climbed onto the cushion, and sat down cross legged.

“Maybe next time I can meet you somewhere?” Keith offered, knowing his building elevator probably wasn’t going to be fixed any time soon. Axel sipped his juice and watched Keith sit down beside him, the blonde wiggling so his back was resting against the arm of the couch, making it easier to talk.

“That costs money,” Axel shrugged. “I’m only here because Shiro is working today and I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?”

“I think we should consider getting a place together. Actually, scratch that, I’m one hundred percent saying we /need/ to get a place together.” Axel took another drink of his juice, a happy little smile blooming - orange juice was everything he needed in life, right that moment.

“You… want to move in together?”

“You sound surprised,” Axel frowned, holding his cup with both hands. “I mean, Shiro and I are more than welcome to stay on base, if we want to. The Garrison has on-site daycare, after all, and Riven has the option to live on base as well, being a liaison between the BoM and Earth, but…”

“But I’m not cleared to be on base,” Keith nodded. “Because I scrubbed out…”

Axel set his cup on the table in front of the couch before he began wiggling down, moving to lay on his side and making sure to leave space behind him and the couch. When he glanced over his shoulder and lifted an eyebrow at Keith, the dark haired male almost lunged forward, wedging himself between Axel and the couch and wrapping his arm around the blonde. Both smiled when Keith wiggled his hand up under Axel’s shirt, splaying it over his stomach and rubbing the stretching skin gently.

“Daycare is important,” Keith spoke softly, finding himself nuzzling his nose against the back of Axel’s neck.

“There’s daycare off base.”

“Yeah, but Garrison daycare is probably free.”

“True…” Axel said, moving so his feet were tangled with Keith’s. They had only agreed to enter into their strange little relationship a month earlier, but Keith’s Galra nature was in full swing around the pregnant male.

“I vote we find me and Riven a better apartment,” Keith offered. “You and Shiro can stay with us as often as you want, and of course the kids will have a room… Not the most traditional relationship, but--”

“But we’re far from traditional,” Axel nodded, feeling his eyes start to slip closed. Keith inhaled deeply, basking in the scent Axel was giving off - a combination of the blonde’s favorite coconut and lime body wash, and something that told every Galra and Altean remotely close to them that Axel was pregnant. Not that it wasn’t obvious. Even at only three months (twelve weeks) pregnant, Axel was fully showing and the blonde was only going to get bigger.

“Sweet dreams, Axel,” Keith smiled, kissing the back of Axel’s neck gently before he too settled down and closed his eyes. A lazy saturday morning was exactly what they needed.

*****

Four months along, and with the elevator in Keith and Riven’s apartment still out of order, Shiro couldn’t help but snicker quietly as his determined husband stormed, as best he could, up five flights of stairs. Shiro had tried to convince Axel that they could meet somewhere outside, it was summer! The weather was absolutely beautiful, Axel looked great in his hot pink leggings (yes, the ones that got him bred in the first place) and white tank top that was stretched over his impressive stomach. According to /many/ people, Axel looked as though he was already six months pregnant, and if being a pregnant human male wasn’t enough, plenty of people had the gall to tell him that he was wrong about how far along he was.

Dealing with the blonde’s unpredictable temper was bad enough, but having someone who wasn’t Lotor telling Axel that he was about his pregnancy was more than enough to send said blonde into a rage.

At least he had a key for the apartment now, Shiro closing the door behind them while Axel went straight for the fridge and the steady stock of orange juice Keith made sure to have for him. When Keith lifted an eyebrow and went to ask a question, Shiro waved him off, leaving Keith to continue chewing his bubble gum.

“Hey beautiful,” Riven smiled, striding quickly into the kitchen and embracing Axel from behind, both hands seeking out his stomach while his lips pressed against Axel’s neck. A happy noise followed and all at once, Axel’s rage subsided, almost cooing from the attention.

“Elevator?” Keith asked Shiro, watching the large male settle on the couch. Because there were often four of them in the apartment, Riven and Keith had invested in two large arm chairs, giving everyone a space to sit.

“Yup.”

“I keep calling about it,” Keith side, blowing a bubble and then snapping it. The noise made Axel pause as he followed Riven into the living room, clutching his beloved purple mug full of orange juice.

“Bubble gum?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Keith nodded. “I haven’t had it in years, but I saw it when I was in the grocery store the other day and--” Axel held his juice in one hand and fisted his other hand in Keith’s shirt, yanking the dark haired male close and kissing him deeply. It was their first kiss, and it was deep and somewhat messy, Keith groaning into it as his eyes slipped closed.

“Mmm… Wow…” He tried to lean forward as Axel stepped away, mind hazy as he opened his eyes and watched the blonde sit himself on Riven’s waiting lap. When purple eyes met Axel’s bi-colored ones, Axel smirked and winked at Keith.

“Hey!”

Axel grinned and blew a bubble, eyebrow lifting as he then popped it and pulled the gum back into his mouth.

“Thanks for sharing, Keith. You taste amazing.”


	4. Chapter 4

Five Months along and Axel was absolutely DONE with being pregnant. Too large to continue teaching hand to hand combat, the blonde was quickly growing miserable. He was still able to work in the Archives, something he was grateful for, but… hormones. While Axel managed to keep his temper in check, and his emotions in line, Shiro had come back to their quarters more than once to find his husband curled up in bed, crying.

Today was no exception, Shiro rubbing his hand over Axel’s back and wishing he could do something, /anything/, to make his beloved happy again. He wasn’t quite sure what was causing the problem this time around, having previously dealt with Axel’s insecurity regarding his body - the blonde took extreme pride in his athletic body and ability to best those larger than him, and being pregnant had taken that from him - the fact that Axel had completely lost his sex drive, the gossip coming from both cadets, and other officers, the fact that his small stature and that he was carrying twins made him look much further along that he really was, his inability to get comfortable, not being able to get up and down easily… The list was endless.

Not that Shiro was keeping a list.

Don’t be silly.

“I never wanted kids…” Axel mumbled, making Shiro lift his head from where he had been reading something on his data pad. The larger man was sitting on the floor with one arm settled along the bed, fingers threaded through Axel’s soft hair, while his other hand held the data pad.

Unsure what to say, Shiro simply turned so he could see Axel clearly. He knew he wanted kids, he had wanted them for years, but their jobs kept them busy, and it wasn’t like he was ever going to get Axel pregnant. Sure, they had never talked about it, and maybe that was Shiro’s fault, but they were still young, Axel being only twenty three, and Shiro having turned twenty seven right before the cabin trip.

“I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to say, love,” Shiro said, scooting his hand closer so he could lay it completely under Axel’s head, almost cradling it.

“You want kids… I know you do…” Axel’s voice was so quiet that Shiro almost didn’t hear him.

“I also told you that I would follow you down whatever path you chose,” Shiro reminded him. “As long as I have you in my life, I’m happy.”

“Doesn’t matter anyways… Can’t do anything about it now…”

Shiro made a mental note to contact Lotor as soon as he could, something telling him that he needed to be worried about Axel’s comments. Forcing himself to keep smiling, not wanting Axel to pick up on his concern, Shiro got up from the floor and crawled into bed with his husband, carefully pulling the blonde against his chest. They were face to face, Axel’s stomach pressed against Shiro’s torso, but the blonde couldn’t bring himself to lift his chin and look Shiro in the eyes.

“There are always options, Axel. Always.”

“Not for me… You and Riven want these babies… You want a family… Something more than just having a mate… You all have plans for something so much bigger than just… just two of us…”

“Axel…”

Shiro’s heart was breaking, arms around his husband as best as they could be as he felt Axel tuck his head under his chin and take slow, somewhat shaky breaths. It wasn’t long before Axel had slipped into an exhausted sleep, Shiro releasing him only long enough to fumble for his data pad before he turned over and tucked Axel back under his chin once more. Fingers flying, Shiro sent off two messages - one to Lotor requesting he come to earth to see Axel ASAP, and one to Keith and Riven, filling them in on their boyfriend’s emotional state.

Scratch that, he sent a third email to Admiral Iverson, letting his commanding officer know that both he and Axel would not be reporting for duty in the morning, and that Axel would be seeing his Medic tomorrow. Attaching his lesson plan for the next day, Shiro blew out a long breath and sent the email, feeling his own emotions churning deep inside.

They were at the halfway mark, now, and he knew that Axel was past the point of no return when it came to medical procedures on earth, but his pregnancy was nothing remotely close to normal. There was a reason he saw Lotor every two weeks - a combination of the Altean half blood knowing the most about this strange situation, and Axel trusting him enough to let Lotor take care of him.

A small ping from his data pad drew Shiro’s attention, squinty at the screen in the darkness. It was a reply from Riven (and Keith, technically) and Shiro knew it must have been hard to send: Whatever path Axel chose, Riven would walk it with him.

*****

Lotor frowned as he knelt beside the bed Axel was curled up on, concern plain on his face as he passed the hand scanner over the blonde’s bundled up body. He didn’t like the way Axel was more or less unresponsive, even though his eyes were open and he blinked slowly every so often. Axel made absolutely no effort to get out of bed, Shiro admitting that the last time Axel had moved was some time in the middle of the night when he had gotten up to use the bathroom, but that had been hours ago.

“How long since he last ate?”

“I sat with him during breakfast yesterday and he had a few bites of fruit, but he honestly didn’t seem all that interested. We don’t see each other after that until I’m off duty, and he was curled up in bed when I got back here.”

“So about twenty four hours, then,” Lotor said, gently brushing Axel’s messy hair away from his face. He had made the trip to earth as soon as he opened his email that morning, worried about what he was going to find when he finally got to the Garrison and made his way to the officer’s quarters.

Shiro sank into one of the desk chairs that sat across from the bed, rubbing a hand over his face as he watched Lotor check over his husband. He had thought that Axel was okay with everything. It had been just over two months since they had found out that Axel was pregnant and the blonde seemed completely fine with the situation. Talking about on site daycare, and finding Riven and Keith an apartment with a nursery. What in the world had changed?

“I’d like to say it was severe depression,” Lotor said, speaking softly. “His body wasn’t built for this, not at all, and his scans are coming back normal. Or as normal as a pregnant human male can be.” Moving to his feet, Lotor flicked his finger across the data pad attached to his wrist, reviewing the scan of the two fetus’ currently residing within his friend.

“He… The email I sent…”

“I saw,” Lotor nodded. “And you were correct, there are options. Ones I’m sure are not… encouraged, here on earth, but there are options. This happens sometimes, unfortunately. Galra heats can cause ones mind to cloud over, the males simply surrendering to their baser instincts, and then when things clear and reality sets in…”

“They decide to opt out,” Shiro finished, watching his husband with sad eyes.

“I’d like to bring him back to my ship, if you’ll allow it. He needs to be monitored rather closely, and it would just be easier for him to come with me, than it would be for me to remain on earth.”

“Can I stay with him?” Shiro asked quickly, moving to his feet. “He shouldn’t be alone.” Lotor smiled kindly and nodded, reaching over to pat Shiro’s should in what he hoped was a comforting fashion.

“I’ll go get a stretcher and we can move him to my shuttle. You pack a bag, or two, okay?”

Shiro nodded, watching his friend leave before he moved quickly to do as Lotor instructed, glancing at Axel every so often. Did he even know what was going on? Was he aware of what he and Lotor had been talking about? Axel had never outright said he wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but was he simply carrying these babies because he was scared Shiro and Riven would abandon him if he didn’t?

A quick call to Keith was made to inform him of the situation, the dark haired male looking somber. Riven had been called back to the Blade headquarters, and no matter how badly he wanted to stay, the sooner he left, the sooner he could return. Besides, he had given Axel his answer, and he would stick by it.

Keith asked to be kept in the loop, wishing he could travel to the medical ship as well, but while he and Axel had been slowly bonding, he wasn’t sure his presence during this time would do any good. Shiro promised he would check in every day, the two brothers smiling sadly at one another before the call ended and Lotor arrived in the room with a hover stretcher.


	5. Chapter 5

Six months in and Axel woke from the coma he hadn’t even realized he had been lost to. Lotor hadn’t even gotten him to the medical ship before Axel had lost consciousness, causing Shiro to panic, which didn’t help the situation. With his tests still reading normal, his heart rate steady, his breathing stable, there was nothing more Lotor could do for Axel other than hooking him up to a large IV drip and waiting for the blonde to come out of it.

With Axel’s stomach being so large and compressing his lungs, he had been placed on his side, and now, as he woke, Axel’s hands immediately snapped to his stomach, even as the IV pulled and caused him to let out a confused whimper. The noise drew Shiro’s attention, the man reclining in a comfortable chair and watching something on the screen attached to the wall in front of him.

“Axel!” Shiro was on his feet within seconds, barely pausing to slap the call button on the wall before he was crouched at the side of the bed, studying his husband’s face intently.

“You’re awake…”

“Did… Did I die?” Axel’s voice cracked as he spoke, making him wince and try to swallow, his throat parched from the constant flow of oxygen running into him via the nasal cannula. The hand containing the IV shifted so it wasn’t tugging on the tubing, Axel wiggling his fingers a little at the sensation.

“Oh, baby, no, you didn’t die,” Shiro smiled, reaching out to stroke Axel’s cheek gently. “But you scared us, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, he’s awake,” Lotor couldn’t help but smile as well as he came into the room.

“What happened…?”

“We’re calling it hormonal overload,” Lotor answered honestly, nudging Shiro out of the way so he could coax Axel onto his back. When the blonde tried to protest, complaining of the weight of his stomach, Lotor shushed him and adjusted the bed so Axel would be sitting up.

“You were in a coma,” Shiro supplied. “For a month, now.”

“A month?” Axel frowned, both hands once more resting on his stomach. “A coma?”

“Your body is struggling to cope with the hormones you were never supposed to have,” Lotor explained, pulling his hand scanner from his pocket so he could check Axel over. “You really scared us.”

“What did I do?”

“You… you talked about not wanting kids,” Shiro said hesitantly. “You said there weren’t any options for you.”

“What?” Axel’s frown deepened, his eyes darting back and forth between his husband and Lotor. “Did I hurt myself? Did I hurt the twins?” The monitor above Axel’s bed quickly indicated the blonde’s rapidly increasing heart rate, and Lotor reached out to rub his shoulder.

“Take deep breaths,” he told Axel. “Well, as deep as you can, considering your current lung capacity. You didn’t do anything wrong, I assure you.”

“Then why am I here? Why did I go into a fucking coma?”

“Keith coined the term ‘hard restart,’” Shiro tried to joke. “Lotor said your body, your brain, was overwhelmed and in an effort to bring balance, you… shut down, rebooted, and now you’re back.”

“I’m not a fucking computer, Shirogane.”

“No, you’re not,” Shiro smiled anyways. “But you sure sound like yourself again, and you have no idea how good that makes me feel.”

“Everything is looking normal,” Lotor smiled.

“You said that when you saw him on earth,” Shiro said.

“Well, yes, I did,” Lotor nodded. “In that instance, the hormone problems didn’t register until after he had gone comatose. That’s when everything went haywire, to use a human term, and we could finally see the difference. Using his previous scans as a base line, I’m much more confident in stating that he’s registering as normal.”

“Can I get this stupid thing out of my hand?” Axel lifted the hand in question, indicating the IV. Awake barely fifteen minutes and already making demands, how very Axel.

“I want to make sure you’re eating and drinking normally before we take that out,” Lotor told him. “The same goes for the catheter.”

“THE WHAT!?”


	6. Chapter 6

Six and a half months in would find Axel curled up on Riven and Keith’s couch, the blonde very happy to be back on earth, and happier to see the elevator working, and happiest to be surrounded by the three men that cared about him the most. This meant he was sitting sideways on the couch, his back against Riven’s chest, letting Riven stroke his stomach - the other blonde hadn’t seen Axel in over a month and had been dying to hold his pregnant boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

That word still felt strange to them, but it also seemed to fit. Axel was Shiro’s husband. Keith was Riven’s mate. And Axel and Riven were boyfriends.

And Axel and Keith? They were still figuring that out.

But Keith and Shiro were very much hands off, and it was most likely that Riven and Shiro would be the same way, not that anyone really minded.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Axel sighed, sliding his hands over Riven’s and lacing their fingers together and letting their hands lay over his stomach.

“Shiro explained everything,” Keith said, waving a hand. “Don’t worry about it. All that matters is that you’re okay again.” It didn’t take much for Axel to notice the way Keith was staring at his stomach, the blonde smiling and releasing Riven’s hand so he could curl a finger at the dark haired male.

“Come on, then,” he told Keith. “Curl up against my belly, I know you want to.” Keith blushed brightly, hesitating for a moment before moving onto the couch and curling himself between Axel’s spread thighs. It took a bit of maneuvering, Axel’s legs curling around Keith’s waist as the younger male arranged himself in such a position that he could rest his cheek against Axel’s stomach.

“We need a bigger couch,” Riven chuckled, using the hand Axel released to gently stroke Keith’s head.

“Mmm?” Keith was already closing his eyes.

“Shiro needs to be able to cuddle, too,” Axel nodded, peering over at his husband. Shiro shrugged with a smile, commenting about how he got to hold Axel every night they spent on base, so it was an acceptable trade off for him.

The hunt for a new apartment had been put on hold while Axel had been in the coma, no one sure what the outcome was going to be. It would have been bittersweet to find the perfect apartment and start thinking about a nursery, only for Axel to choose not to continue with his pregnancy. But when the blonde had woken, everything had fallen into place again, and Keith was half heartedly searching once again.

*****

“Bed rest.”

“Make me.”

“This isn’t a suggestion, Axel.”

“Fight me.”

“You have two options,” Lotor sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Bed rest here, on base, or bed rest on my ship, and I’ll use a catheter.”

Axel narrowed his eyes, sitting on the Garrison medical bed and glaring at the Galra Medic who had started checking on him once a week. Axel was seven and a half months along and, looking at human gestation, he was considered due any time, prompting Lotor to remove him from duty and place the angry male on bed rest.

“You can’t prove I’m on bed rest when I’m here on earth,” Axel grumbled.

“No, but I can have Shiro lock you in your quarters,” Lotor shot back. “He can bring you food, and you have a bathroom attached, so there’s no reason for you to leave. You can’t possibly do enough moving around to cause yourself any damage, unless you’re actively trying to hurt yourself… and I’d like to think you’re not that childish.”

“Why can’t I stay with Keith and Riven?”

“Because Riven still goes on missions for the Blades, and Keith has to work,” Lotor said. “Not to mention, if anything goes wrong, you’re somewhere there is a fully equipped medical response team.”

“But I’ll be alone in my quarters,” Axel rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to be putting a monitoring device on you, actually.”

“So it’s house arrest?”

“Basically.”

“I hate you.”

“I know,” Lotor sighed, pulling the small, watch-like device from his pocket before holding out his hand. Axel sighed as well, looking away as he offered out his wrist, allowing Lotor to attach the device.

“Gonna walk me home, then?” the blonde asked, accepting Lotor’s help in getting down off the bed. One hand immediately pressed into his lower back, Axel groaning a little as he once more felt the full weight of his massive stomach.

“I’d like to say that I trust you not to do something stupid, but I know you all too well, Axel.”


	7. Chapter 7

Eight months and one week and Lotor all but slammed his shuttle into the ground as he landed at the Garrison, two additional Medics following close behind him as all three sprinted across the grounds. He had made the trek from the launch pad to Axel’s crew quarters, and the Garrison sick bay, many times over the last few months, but this time he was far from composed. Two Garrison soldiers had cleared the path for the Medics, watching as they raced by, wondering what had caused such an abrupt response.

Thankfully the Garrison medic on duty had followed Lotor’s instructions flawlessly, laying Axel’s barely conscious body on one of the patients bed, the blonde’s head listing from side to side as pain caused his muscles to contract. It had only been because of the monitoring device that Lotor had been alerted to Axel’s rapid change in health.

First, his blood pressure had spiked, followed by a sharp drop, followed by an alert that Axel himself had dropped. The blonde had collapsed while brushing his teeth, head spinning from the shift in blood pressure, light tanned skin split and blood flowing from where his head had connected with the edge of the sink.

Lotor had immediately alerted the Garrison medics, as well as Shiro, and then Admiral Iverson, sending everyone scrambling.

Shiro had made it to his quarters first, thankful it had been a test day and he had seen the emergency alert on his data pad. Axel had managed to curl himself on his side, both hands gripping his stomach as pain lashed through him, making the blonde whimper pitifully. Door to their quarters left open, Shiro listened for the arrival of the medics, a clean cloth pressed to the wound over Axel’s left temple.

Moving the blonde had been a bit more complicated - the bathroom was tiny, Axel was not tiny (anymore), and in the end, Shiro had scooped his husband into his arms and hauled him off the floor, ignoring the fact that Axel could have had a spinal injury. Life over limb, and such. He would have packed Axel right to sick bay, if the medics had let him, but instead he was placed on a stretcher and he led the way, voice booming as he told cadets to get out of the way.

“You never make things easy, do you, Axel?” Lotor said as he quickly worked to get into his surgical scrubs, accepting help from Shiro to pull his hair back and don his mask. The Garrison medics had prepped Axel with two large IVs and had stripped him of his clothes, followed by disinfecting his stomach. The Galra medics provided the anesthesia and monitoring, Lotor beginning the incision as soon as they declared Axel completely unconscious.

Shiro could do nothing more than stand in the hallway, unable to watch his husband as he was cut into. It wouldn’t take long, he knew that, Lotor was working quickly to save all three of them, but no one could say what had caused this to happen. A placental rupture was what Shiro had heard the Garrison medics whispering about, but just about anything was possible when you were reminded of the fact that Axel was male.

“Shiro? Shiro!” Riven hadn’t been far behind Lotor, though he had at least been on earth when Iverson had made contact, Keith right behind his mate. Exceptions for Keith being on base had been made, considering the situation, and all involved were grateful for that.

“Lotor’s working on him,” Shiro said, nodding towards the closed doors of the sick bay. “I… I couldn’t watch…”

“How bad is it?” Keith’s voice was soft, reaching out to rest a hand on Shiro’s shoulder.

“He was barely awake… The medics were whispering about a… a placental rupture? That he could be bleeding out, internally?” Shiro shook his head as he spoke, rubbing a hand over his face and then up into his hair, the larger male struggling to keep his composure.

“The twins?” Riven asked tentatively, but Shiro could only lift his hands in a classic ‘I don’t know’ sort of gesture, leaving all three to wait, and worry.

It only took minutes for the first cry to be heard, Shiro, Keith, and Riven turning to stare at the double doors that lead into sick bay. Moments later, a second voice joined the unhappy wails, signalling the birth of two unhappy, but healthy sounding, babies. Keith was holding on to each of the men, wedged between the two and holding a hand in each of his.

Wrapped up warm and tight, one of the Garrison medics stepped out into the hallway carrying a blue bundle in each arm. The woman looked anxious, even while smiling, offering the children out towards the three men.

“Little brunette was boring first,” she told them, Shiro reaching out to accept the child. “And the blondie came second.” Baby number two went to Riven, not that any of them knew what to do with a newborn.

“You can have them for a few minutes, until we get Axel taken care of.” With that, the woman slipped back into sick bay, leaving Keith, Shiro, and Riven staring at the squishy infants.

Blonde hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin stared up from Riven’s arms, but it was the pointed ears that stood out, the sight making Riven beam. They hadn’t known what sort of genetic traits a child with only a quarter of Galra blood would show, and they hadn’t expected this, but damn if Riven wasn’t proud. His baby looked just like him.

Brown hair, brown eyes, and more pale skin graced Shiro’s son, and Shiro was already hooked on the boy. Keith looked between the two, smiling as he took in the differences and wondered if their personalities would be just as diverse. From the outside looking in, one would never know that these babies were twins, even if they were only half brothers. If genetics weren’t already complicated enough, having one mother and two fathers certainly stirred things up.

“Alright boys, we’re ready for you.”

Axel was still asleep, but he was looking a lot better than when Shiro had seen him less than thirty minutes earlier. Lotor offered a smile as the three new fathers approached, rubbing a healing salve over the cut over Axel’s temple.

“He’s okay?” Shiro asked, standing beside his husband’s bed and peering down at Axel’s sleeping form.

“He lost a good deal of blood, and he’s going to be weak, but he wasn’t going down without a fight,” Lotor chuckled. “I’ve asked that he stay in sick bay for several days, just until I’m sure he’s ready to be up and moving around.”

“Will you be staying as well?” Riven asked.

“Yes. I think it’s best if I watch over him. While I’m quite sure the wonderful medics here would take great care of him,” Lotor glanced at the man and woman who were cleaning up the surgical mess. “I have more knowledge regarding male pregnancy. Thankfully they’ve agreed to let me stay.”

“How long before he wakes up?”

“An hour or so, depending on how well he handles the anesthesia,” Lotor said. “Galra medicine is quite different, after all. But he’ll be happy to know that our technology has also restored his beloved stomach.” When the three males looked at Lotor in confusion, the Altean half blood chuckled and carefully lifted the blankets away from Axel’s naked torso, revealing a flat, toned stomach that showed no signs it had been home to twins.

“Whoa…”

“You can do that?”

“Of course we can,” Lotor preened. “Galra need to be in top physical form, even right after birth. Of course, he’ll need to train himself back into peak form, but he’s not going to be ‘fat’ anymore, if I can use one of his phrases.”

Chairs were brought in for the men to settle into, the twins being passed back and forth, Shiro, Keith, and Riven all getting lessons in diaper changes and bathing, not mention how to handle bottle feeding. It was a lot of information, but Shiro knew that keeping the twins on base, close to all the help they could ever need, was going to be a great decision.

“Did you choose names?” Lotor asked, sitting cross legged on an empty medical bed as he watched his friends learn how to be parents.

“Fynn and Zephyr.”

“Four sets of eyes turned towards Axel, the blonde still not able to fully open his eyes (no matter how hard he tried), but apparently he was more than awake enough to state this information.

“Fynn is Shiro’s,” he continued. “Zephyr is Riven’s.”

“Good to see you awake, Axel,” Lotor smiled, moving to check his patient over.

“If I find out you stuck a catheter in me again, I’m going to cut off your dick, Lotor,” the blonde mumbled, lifting a hand and flailing it, somewhat weakly, in the general direction of the voices around him.

“Yes, yes, I know.”

Names had been the easy part, really. Axel had let Shiro and Riven choose them, stating he didn’t care what the twins were called, as long as he could pronounce them, and as long as people wouldn’t mock them about it. Last names, on the other hand, were something none of them could agree on. Hell, Axel still carried his own last name, refusing to become Axel Shirogane (even if it sounded great), and his husband hadn’t wanted to be Shiro Maxwell, so…

But who said they /had/ to have a last name, anyways? Riven didn’t have one, and Zephyr was part Galra, so did he really need one? But Fynn was one hundred percent human, and both children would be growing up on earth.

In the end, it was decided:

Welcome to the universe, Fynn and Zephyr Maxwell.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are welcomed, comments are awesome!
> 
> Join our [Voltron Discord!](https://discord.gg/JnC529h)


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